


Tournent les Violons

by Angelscythe



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Birthday Party, Inspired by Music, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23683975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelscythe/pseuds/Angelscythe
Summary: Hubert had been promised to one of the Duke Aegir's daughter and for his birthday, he has to decide which one will be his wife.But when destiny makes appear a strange commoner with the same hair as the Duke, Hubert sees this wedding to come under a new eye...
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg & Hubert von Vestra, Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	Tournent les Violons

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!!
> 
> I often said that english isn't my first language and I have dislexia and that's why my text looks so poor. This is still true but what I don't say often is that my first language is french!! I was keepin my household into a not so much mess when my computer threw at me one of my favorite singer and I just saw Ferdibert... So. Here we are, this fic is inspired by 'Tournent les Violons' from Jean-Jacques Goldman and I let you the link there => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eR6v2zcy4c
> 
> Also, please, please, please!! Remember that you're awesome and someone love you! I believe in you! You can do it!!! Special love blew to any people in essential workshop and in the hospital and all. Thank you so much!
> 
> Stay inside and hydrated! Wash your hands!

When Hubert was born, Crestless, his life looked very useless…

After all, what a Noble could do without a Crest? What one could do without a Crest?

His life seemed promised to melancholy…

Really?

Not really. The providence made that he was born a Vestra… And Vestra were very unique. No one expected them to have a Crest. They never had. They passed almost two millennials without even brushing those coveted Crest. And they had nothing to complain about…

The very first Vestra was by the side of the Emperor Hresvelg when Seiros herself blessed him with a Crest to thank him of the help he provided for Fódlan. And since then, the family never stopped to be by their side. It was a good thing that they hadn’t Crest to turn them away from their true purpose.

Eduard Von Vestra was walking by the side of Ionius IX since he was a child and Hubert… Hubert would be by the side of the future Emperor. On the same way he knew every secret, ambition and desire of Ionius and always helped him, Hubert would do the same with the future Emperor. Ionus, X to become. The harsh task of this whole role was the fact that… an accident could happen at any time and Hubert had to be by the side of the Emperor since the beginning. How could the Emperor trust someone if he, they, didn’t know back everything of their advisor? Their favorite meal, the kind of animals they would kill or not, if they liked to hunt… Everything. On the other hand, the Advisor and Vassal had to know everything of their future Emperor. But it was expected. After all, how could you serve and please your Emperor without knowing everything about him?

This was what the future held for Hubert.

And will hold for every of his descendants probably.

While Elvire, his wife, was taking care of the baby, exhausted but glad, Eduard Von Vestra was in his office. Working on the papers Ionus had asked him. Ionus IX. So many things to do and put in order. Well, he was his Advisor, his Vassal, his Minister of the Household, of course you expected that he had to know what was happening in every land, to know how the Emperor could do better, numbers and numbers, complaints and complaints, issues to bring to him, Nobles to know…

So exhausting.

If only this Emperor could…

Knock at the door make Eduard groan.

It must be Elvire with baby Hubert. She certainly wanted him to say goodnight to the child. He had pity for him… Crestless, only Marquis when there was so many others people with better title and forced to be enslaved to an Emperor…

In Enbarr, everybody said the Vestra family was honored of their role in the society.

Eduard thought he was an idiot! He was doing everything and Ionus IX was the one praised. People didn’t even see him. He was standing in the shadow…

And he hated the shadow…

“Yes?” he said, closing the tenth book he had to read for Ionus IX’s plans.

Yes. His Emperor had plans and he had to do the researches…

The door opened. And, well… it wasn’t his beautiful wife with a porcelain skin and extremely clear green eyes. It wasn’t the golden hair of the lady. It was a man with sweat rolling along his puffy cheeks, having hard time to carry his belly around and having lost years ago the golden hair he used to be so glad to have. And he couldn’t even grow a beard, just have this little mustache.

“Ludwig? What is it again? If Ionus changed idea once again, I…”

“I heard you have a son!”

“Yes,” he replied. “We called him Hubert.”

The man approached him with a smile.

“You and I should make an arrangement.”

“What?”

The Duke Aegir kept moving toward him. He laid his hand on the desk where the Minister of the Household was working.

“I know you hate the Emperor and you know I always wanted his place. He is too kind. The Emperors are too kind for too long. Fódlan is turning into the land of that damn Holy Kingdom. We can’t allow that. We have to work together. I’m sure we can find others people to…”

“Why asking me?”

“You know every of his little secrets. We can do what we want. I have the keys to do more. Not only as a ruler but for Fódlan, for the World.”

“So I am helping you then I will stay in your shadow, isn’t it?”

The Duke certainly didn’t want to let the things in the hands of someone else. He had so many projects. He wanted to make things as he wished. Not only for the Empire but for others things. He could come back to another time. He could reach the past, make things bigger, use an old magic and… have the whole World in his hands.

But not in Vestra’s hands, please!

“I see… Your absence of reply is evident. But wait… haven’t you a Crest in your family?”

“A Crest? Yes. The Aegir family had been blessed by Cichol himself. But we had no bearer since so long.”

“It remains one chance,” Eduard said. He got up. “I promise to help you and do my best if, in return, my son marry one of your children to come.”

The Duke held out his hand with a smile.

“However… if by the time of his twenty-one years old, my Hubert isn’t engaged to one of your children… I will not let you be on the front spot while I am doing everything.”

“Deal!” the Duke said.

And they shook each other hand.

**_21 years later_ **

“IT’S YOUUUUR BIRTHDAY!!!”

Edelgard pushed open the door of Hubert’s room and bumped into the heavy board.

“Ouuuutch.”

The door opened on Hubert, foam on his face, a straight razor in the hand, who stared at the future Empress rubbing her forehead with a groan.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes! Your door is hard! Anyway… It’s your birthday! Happy Birthday!”

She jumped at his neck. He could have stopped her because she would be stained by the foam but who cared? He hugged her back.

Edelgard refused to be touched by anyone… but Hubert. It happened she came sneaked out in his bed so she could sleep. The Nightmares were running away from him. Not that surprising. He was making shiver everybody. And yes, this was the same for Abigail, Jessica, Elizabeth –aka Liese– and Rosalie Aegir.

Well, Rosalie was only five years old and Edelgard and Hubert had already agreed he was quite frightening for everyone being under seven years old. Which meant Liese had only stopped to be scared by him since last year…

Hubert wasn’t really delighted to have to marry one of them. Not only because the Duke managed to found a wife very lately and Abigail was only thirteen years old but also because a spouse would be annoying with Edelgard’s plans. Add to that the fact that he totally knew his father had made a pact with the Duke…

He was just a pawn in their chessboard and that was disgusting.

And to finish… after what he had done to Lady Edelgard, he refused to even brush anything related to the blood or the flesh of this awful Prime Minister…

“Happy birthday, Hubert! I have a present for you!”

“Lady Edelgard, you shouldn’t have… I don’t have anything for you.”

“It’s your birthday,” she stated. “You’re not supposed to give me something! And I really wanted to give you something you will appreciate,” she said.

“Thank you, Lady Edelgard…”

She moved her hand, caressing his cheekbone, so sharp. Brushing the hair that started to cover his wounded eye…

“Now, you have foam all over your face,” he said.

He moved his long finger with nails adorned of black and spread it all over her face.

“Hubert!” she laughed.

She kissed her cheekbone, rubbing her chin on him.

She was laughing and this certainly was the best present Hubert could get for his birthday. Way better than the party his parents were organizing for him and that was only dedicated to him choosing his wife among Ludwig Von Aegir’s four daughters.

That was so ridicule.

If only he could stay here with Lady Edelgard. Even if it was to prepare their plan…

They had so much to do…

And honestly? If he could poison, not necessarily deathly, the right people, the party would be cancelled.

Though, Edelgard needed a bit of fresh air. She needed to meet people and laugh. This party would be the best way for it.

“I need to prepare myself, my Lady. And then, I will help you get ready,” he promised.

“Only if you accept me to help you! You need to be pretty too! You’re always pretty though!”

“Lady Edelgard…”

“Your heart is very pretty.”

He stared her.

“Come on, you are! It’s not because you had killed that guy… and that other guy… and… they all deserved it anyway,” she said. “You are beautiful to me.”

She pressed another kiss on his cheek and then pushed him toward the bathroom linked to his own room. He had to keep preparing himself. If they arrived late…

She really believed those kind of horrible parties were the best way to know how to do later. Not only for their future lives, for Edelgard’s future life as Empress, but also for the moment they would be at Garreg Mach. There was Ball, celebrations, reunions…

They just had to get used to all of this.

Edelgard removed the foam from her face with her sleeve and she took the present she had hid in the back of her clothes. She waited for him to come back, sat on the edge of the bed. She was secretly happy for the party to come but… only because she always loved when Hubert took the time to help her with her hair, her outfit… And when she could get him clothes and they played the game ‘guess were his my dagger’ though she still believed Hubert was cheating since he also had a flacon of poison on him.

It wasn’t a dagger and so it was out of the game.

But for eyes like her, used to see were those kinds of things could be hide, it was just making her miss the real weapon.

Though… she trusted more Hubert to poison someone rather than stab them…

She turned her head toward the door when it opened and she smiled to her best friend and Vassal. Especially best friend.

She got up and approached him, holding out the nicely wrapped present.

“I have to redo it five times but it looks pretty neat, don’t you think?”

It was far away from neat. You could see the white part of the paper, it was gaping but… it was perfect. Because she was the one who did it, with her own hands, taking time. Not only to search for something that would please him but to wrap it. Even if that had taken so much time…

“It’s perfect, Lady Edelgard. It would be a shame to open i…”

“Open!”

“Yes, lady Edelgard.”

He immediately unwrapped his present, almost ripping open the paper.

To discover a book about ancient, and dangerous, magic coming from the Ordelia’s ground…

The cover was beautiful, leather black with golden inscription.

He couldn’t believe she had found something like that to him.

It might be so expensive.

Yes, money wasn’t a difficulty for Edelgard Von Hresvelg but who cared? She took the time, she was… she truly was the only one who would give him something he would like. The others didn’t care. It was just a feast of people who only wanted to show how much they had money and their taste. It was at who would threw away the most of money for the most useless, horrible and annoying thing…

Hubert always hated parties, always hated his birthday and this year it will be this horrible combination. And he had to choose a fiancée…

Or else…

“Name?”

At the entry of the Imperial Castle, guards were wearing the red colors of the Empire. They had parchments filled with name.

The Party was more than valued. Obviously. Not only it was the biggest party since the wedding of Anselma and Ionus IX but it was also the best occasion to reach the finest Nobles of the whole Empire. Country perhaps! They said some people from Brigid will come! They expected the King and perhaps his granddaughter? He wanted to know more about their traditions and perhaps send her here? Not for her to become a puppet of the Empire but to open a bridge…

So, yes, the Guards were very cautious.

“Ferdinand.”

“Last name?” the Guard asked.

Ferdinand shook his head. “I have no last name. I came for the service?”

The Soldier rubbed his nose bridge.

“It’s not by there. You have to go around the Castle and take the red door.”

“Oh. Oh, okay! Thank you!”

Ferdinand deeply bowed then moved aside to let a man with purple hair step forward. Ferdinand just heard his last name, Gloucester?, as he was running away. He had to hurry up. He couldn’t arrive too late. It was such a chance to have been hired for this party. Everybody wanted to be there. They all had wanted to be there because the money you will get by being one of those walking among Nobles and give them food.

Just that.

Food and drinks.

But so much of them hoped for more.

A future work? A Noble who would fall in love with them? A fairy tale to become…

Ferdinand just wanted a bit of money. He needed to bring it back and he got just so much luck to have been chose when they were so much to ask for the place…

He ran along the Castle and presented himself at the back door. And there, they finally let him come, leading him in a room where he had to change himself. He put on red tights and a black short above it, black boots with little heel accompanying this. He had to add a kind of black corsage with a red bow, the back of it finishing like a white tie. He also had a headband with a bow, the colors coming very well with his golden hair. The same hair he tied in a high ponytail. His hair was growing with so long and it was one of the things he was the most pride of.

He hadn’t many things he could be pride of…

Soon, he would be glad to bring money to his family. To his dear mother…

“Hubert, you’re so pretty!”

Hubert smiled but didn’t reply. He should have said something. Even a ‘Thank you’? He said nothing. He didn’t even reply the same to the young girl who said it to her. His eye barely brushed the purple folds of the beautiful dress sparkled with strass. He didn’t look at her when she swirled on herself, her black hair dancing lovingly around her and walked back with the others.

“Hubert, you’re so pretty!!!”

“You are more than pretty, Lady Edelgard,” he said, bowing in two to kiss the future Empress’ knuckles.

“Hubert!” Edelgard laughed softly. “You could try to be nice with them too.”

“We both know _they_ don’t believe it.”

Edelgard looked at Liese, in her beautiful purple dress. She kept glancing to Hubert, in fear. Of course she was…

The Princess of the Empire could understand it and on the other hand, couldn’t. Of course Hubert could make them afraid and they were in the same boat, they were forced to please him and hope being the one chose without wanting it… but playing with _her_ Hubert?!

No!

She refused they would use him. It was the tradition in the Noble circle but… she cared for Hubert so much.

“You know what?” she asked.

“What, Lady Edelgard?”

“Wedding cancelled!”

“Lady Edelgard?”

“I cancel it. You won’t marry any of the Aegir’s daughters! I will say I, your future Empress, refuse my Vassal to have someone. My father won’t stay very longer on power and I want my Advisor to be fully dedicated to me and the country.”

“Very well. Wedding cancelled.”

“It’s all?” Edelgard asked with a surprised tone.

Of course she was… She knew him since fifteen years and he always talked about that wedding he was forced in.

Well, the very first time was when Abigail was born thirteen years before and that he groaned about having to marry her probably. And then he had lament about it when the three others came to World. And at each gala, party or celebration they were there…

Today, he was twenty-one years old and he could officially enter in wedding with anyone. He would have to wait for his future bride but they said a bunch of Nobles were actually excited to see who he will choose.

Some had made bet on who he will choose.

Some were waiting for Hubert to choose so they could ask another daughter in wedding to the Duke. For them or for their children…

The accord between the Marquis and the Duke was anchored in Enbarr’s live for so long…

“Your wishes are always orders to me,” Hubert said.

He bowed in front of her and when he straightened, he took a glass of apple juice on a tray and offered it to his Princess. She thanked him but couldn’t stop thinking about those words… about the fact Hubert, being who he was, always complied to his father and now…

“What will you accept for me?” she said.

“I don’t unders…”

“You understand,” Edelgard cut short.

It wasn’t some orders in disguise… You couldn’t force someone to understand you. Even when it was someone as dedicated as Hubert…

“Whiplash. Every day. Until his last breath.”

“No! I refuse!” she protested.

“I know.” He bowed in front of her. “That’s why I accepted this wedding.”

“I will find something,” she said. “You won’t get a wife or whiplash as birthday present,” she groaned.

Hubert didn’t care much. But he didn’t want Edelgard to be sad. Or this union to serve the Duke too much…

“Lady Edelgard…”

“You have suffered enough like that,” she protested.

Hubert moved his hand to her. He didn’t dare to touch her wrist though. It was pretty warm, especially at Enbarr, and her carmine dress was sleeveless, showing her back thanks to a heart shape. So much skin he wouldn’t dare brushing…

He wasn’t allowed to dirty her.

He was a Noble from title but he was far away from deserving fully touching her.

When they were younger, he remembered Edelgard joking that he wouldn’t have to marry any Aegir child if she married him before. He was thinking about that as he watched them move away among the crowd.

They were all calling for her attention as if she was a kind of acrobat.

And she really was for some of them. The white hair, hold in a complicate bun today, being the source of so many discussion since six years now. She didn’t care about them, their looks… Of course, she didn’t care. She was above them. They could only drool in front of what she was, she will be.

Even though…

There still was something frightening her.

If the Duke Aegir managed to lay his hand over her as he did with her father. If Hubert married one of his daughters…

Hubert wanted to believe it was only about that because he couldn’t believe someone would really care about him, having such weird interest, being so inapt socially.

And yet.

There… looking the marvel, the angel, his future Empress, his Queen, was, Hubert only thought about one thing: he really needed a coffee.

And, of course, his father hadn’t put any of those divine drinks in the menu.

It was only his birthday…

But the man preferred juice, alcohol… Tea…

Though… Hubert swore he could smell the soft perfume of the coffee… He was certainly fantasying things because the softness of a coffee was the only things that could relieve him of the stress and the boredom swirling around him.

He glanced at Ludwig’s daughters… and his heart stopped to beat for a whole second.

Ferdinand passed through the crowd. He felt so tiny, not only because of his short size, still growing, but because they were all so much more than him. Those young girls in the taffeta and the silk of their dresses, they certainly were able to write, read and know a lot of things while he just could smile and take care of horses for the Soldiers of the Empire. When they let him do.

As he moved through the crowd of Nobles, he saw them take glasses without even looking at him. Some just put down others glasses, still without the simplest consideration. More than once, the tray swayed and his little hands struggled to keep it on a correct balance. Especially when he always made sure that no one would take the huge cup on the tray. He had seen more look for this cup than for himself.

Around him, violins were playing. Around him, people were dancing, laughing.

No wonder why everybody wanted to come at his party. It was so big, there were so many people he would never expect meeting. The Minister of War was there, sipping a glass of alcohol; and there, the old Duke of the Alliance, his hair so white but his smile so soft; and there… the Emperor himself.

The Emperor…

He felt so tiny.

Hubert watched him. He was the Sun lost among a very fade ocean. Around him, there were so many Noble that have so little interest. But him, smiling genuinely, his fingers keeping his tray up while his eyes watched the marvel he never saw, he was something new.

His father had hired a lot of waiters today but this one wasn’t like the others. Every of his pace looked as if he was dancing on the violins’ music, his fingers pushing away a cup from the greedy hands of the Nobles. And as he swirled around, making sure everybody would have drink, food maybe, the smell of coffee was swirling around him as well.

Hubert walked toward him.

He zigzagged through the crowd, approaching the Aegir’s daughters. Jessica retched. Hubert approached _him_.

Ferdinand swirled on himself as he offered a glass of juice to the young Rosalie. He smiled to her and swirled again, his hairs floating around, darting ray of lights all around.

He bumped into someone. The tray wavered dangerously. A hand slid under his, helping the tray to stay on place. Their skins touching each other. The girls hiccupped behind Ferdinand. Ferdinand felt a hand on his hip and he looked up to see a man so tall leaning at his ear.

He whispered four words.

Four words Ferdinand never heard before…

“You are very pretty.”

He stared the man that was there, smiling to him, his white teeth showing. Around him, everybody would have told him it was the most predatory smile you could ever see. The smile of a Demon.

But Ferdinand saw none of this…

He was smiling back to him. Extremely red.

“Can I?” Hubert wondered, moving his hand from his.

“What?” Ferdinand noticed the long pale fingers wanting to grab the cup. “No!”

He moved it away, making swirl the dark liquid in the cup.

Behind him, the Aegir daughters hiccupped again.

“This is for Hubert Von Vestra only.”

New hiccup behind him.

“I am Hubert Von Vestra,” Hubert smiled.

“He is Hubert Von Vestra,” Abigail said.

“I am so sorry!”

Ferdinand’s fingers moved to grab the cup and then gave it to him, making slip the tray with that crashed on the floor with violence, shattering glass all over. There were screams all around. Ferdinand closed his eyes but held out the coffee cup to Hubert.

“I saved this?” he said, whispered.

“Are you an idiot?!”

One of the organizers of the party just stormed to them, his hand raised. Quick, violent.

A sound of bones cracking echoed in the place.

A scream followed.

The Aegir daughters let out a gasp of horror. Rosalie was yelling…

Ferdinand’s eyes were wide open, a hiccup coming out his lips. The organizer was kneeling, in pain, screaming, as Hubert was turning his bones into dust inside his flesh. Ferdinand pressed his hand in front of his mouth, still holding the coffee with the other.

“Don’t ever touch him again. And offer your apologize to Sir…”

Hubert turned his head toward the young man. As he did, the four young girls ran away, yelling ‘fatheeeeer’ in such an annoying way…

“F… Ferdinand.” He noticed Hubert expected a last name. “Just Ferdinand…”

“Apologize to Ferdinand, now. If you wish for your life…”

“S… Sir Ferdinand, pl… please, I… I really beg your pardon.”

“It is fine. Please, Lord Vestra, let go on him. It is fine, it was my fault, I…”

Ferdinand moved backward when he saw the hand, who just let go on the organizer, approach him. What will he do to him?

“May I ask you to follow me?” he said.

Ferdinand nodded, still in shock.

He could have taken that hand, it seemed to be what Hubert expected from him, but he gave him the coffee instead.

Which made smile the man.

Taking the cup, Hubert moved his arm to invite Ferdinand while others servant of the house were cleaning the mess.

The violins started to play again…

“I still have to work…” Ferdinand said.

“I understand. Can you offer me a few minutes? The time of a dance, perhaps?”

“I can’t dance,” he replied.

“The time of knowing what you can do?” Hubert asked, leading him on a space a bit away from the effervescence of the party.

“Who is he…” the Duke Aegir groaned.

“Who is he?” the Marquis Vestra hissed. “I will take this child by the hair and…”

“His hair…” The Duke turned his head toward Abigail, still shaking. “Go see your mother or your nanny,” he commanded.

“I don’t want to marry Hubert, father…” she whined.

“Go to see your mother or nanny now _or_ you will have to marry him.”

She let out a scream looking like a pork you killed and she ran away.

“Did you just use my son to make your daughter yield?” Eduard Von Vestra asked with a smirk.

“Yes.”

“I have to recognize, I agree. Hubert makes no effort to be pleasant,” he groaned. “I suppose this parvenu wants the title and the money of our family… I will make him regret,” he growled. “The situation is already insufferable. One of my spy told me he and Edelgard are plotting to cancel the wedding with your daughters. Hubert hates them anyway.”

“Wait a minute…” the Duke said.

“I know, the situation is difficult. But you are the one who risks the most in this situation,” the Marquis smirked.

“Perhaps, you are absolutely wrong,” Ludwig smiled.

He was talking, talking and talking. He couldn’t stop talking.

Hubert didn’t care, he watched him, sipping his coffee.

“Ah! You received your coffee! Was it cold?”

Ferdinand stopped talking and stared Edelgard with big eyes. The future Empress was there, standing at a few paces from him. She was approaching… He knew he could have the chance to see her from away but there, his heart was racing.

“It was perfect,” he replied, watching Ferdinand. “Lady Edelgard, here is Ferdinand. Ferdinand, I don’t have to introduce you to Lady Edelgard, isn’t it?”

“No. I’m honored.” Ferdinand deeply bowed. “And I need to go back to work… I was glad to be on your company, Lord Vestra.”

Edelgard smiled while looking at them.

Hubert only liked to be alone. The only company he accepted was Edelgard and there… he accepted a random guy around him?

“Please, stay with us,” Edelgard said.

“I… I certainly wouldn’t show you disrespect, your Imperial Highness, but I have to work.”

“I understand. But it’s Hubert’s birthday and he doesn’t have a lot of friends. This is his party and, I swear, you will be paid.”

“Well…” Ferdinand made a little face and then smiled. “It’s Lord Vestra’s wedding so, of course, I accept.”

“Thank you,” Edelgard said.

She pushed her best friend toward him and Hubert cleared his throat.

“Do you think you are out of problems, Lady Ede…”

“You can talk with me whenever you want,” she said. “Ferdinand! How old are you? Hubert is twenty-one today!”

“Seventeen!” he smiled. Then frowned a little. “Soon… At the end of the month, in fact.”

“So you both share a birthday month! Sweet!” Edelgard joyfully chatted.

Ferdinand nodded.

“Is it common for you to work as waiter?”

“No. I just needed money. My mother needs this money. She used to work for the Nobility of Enbarr but it was long time ago. Before I was born.”

“I can’t remember someone with your be…acon.”

“Excuse me?” Ferdinand said, surprised.

“You were three or four years old,” Edelgard said, trying to save the situation for him.

“Probably.”

“You do have a great memory but still.”

“If the question was ‘does my mother look like me’ it’s a no. My mother is really, really pretty but her hair is brighter, very red. Her eyes are a bit more gold-like and she… well, in fact we have the same freckles. But I think that comes from where we lived.”

Ferdinand kept chatting like that, talking about his mother with a proud and tender attitude.

“He talks a lot,” Edelgard whispered.

“He never stops,” Hubert replied under his breath, folding his arms adorned with puffy sleeves.

“About eyes! Your is very beautiful, Hubert. I never saw such a color!”

Hubert watched him, his pale cheeks blossoming.

“Excuse me?”

“This color is so pure and unique! I can’t stop looking at it. Them?”

He leaned slightly his head on the side.

Hubert held out his hand to him.

“Perhaps we could go to the balcony?”

Edelgard moved her hand in front of her mouth to hide a giggle. But on the other hand… Ferdinand was the first one who said soft words with a genuine tone. He was thinking what he said instead of… trying to lick his feet to tame him. He hated that.

He often had the feeling that Edelgard herself was just used to be around him. So much that she believed he was pleasant.

But Ferdinand…

“The balcony?”

“The view is beautiful,” Hubert said.

Edelgard bit her lower lips.

“It would be my pleasu…”

Ferdinand was holding out his hand to take the one offered to him. Fully willing to touch this uncovered hand with his naked fingers.

His wrist was suddenly grabbed.

“You!”

“Ludwig,” Hubert groaned.

“I asked him to stay with us,” Edelgard said. “My orders are more valuables than yours,” she added between her teeth.

“You know it’s wrong,” the Duke Aegir smiled to her. And then he looked at Ferdinand. “You, you come with me. I have to talk to you.”

His eyes were darting him. There was something in his look, cold, frightening. His hand almost crushed Ferdinand’s wrist whom let out a hiccup.

Hubert’s fingers moved, surrounding with dark magic.

The Duke noticed it and his eyes were even more frightening to Ferdinand’s taste. Yet, he smiled to Hubert.

“Everything is fine,” he said with a soft tone. “I have to work anyway, I’m sure I’m disturbing Noble to profit like that of them. I will come back as soon as I can, I swear,” he promised, bowing deeply.

Hubert wasn’t glad.

Hubert wanted to crush the Duke’s little head in his hand. Suddenly, he would be more than happy to marry one of his daughters and made her suffer… if only he cared for them.

He glanced at Edelgard. But she was speechless, watching both of them.

Hubert felt his heart pinch him. She certainly was feeling the old fears coming back…

“Hubert… how haven’t we noticed?” Edelgard whispered.

“What?”

“Ferdinand’s hair… they are the same colors as Ludwig Von Aegir…”

Hubert moved his eye to the Duke who forced Ferdinand to leave the room. From behind, it was easier to see the color of the man… mane? Remaining hair, at least. And with the candles casting the same light of them…

Why Ferdinand had the same hair as this man…?

“Who is your mother?”

Ferdinand almost fell when the Duke shoved him in a closet. His forehead hit the wall before, though. He turned toward the Duke in the forest of vest.

“You said it was a lady who used to work there, isn’t it?!” he pressed with an angry and annoyed tone.

He listened to them?

Ferdinand felt pretty bad.

“Yes, Azélie.”

“Azélie? What is she looking like? From where is she?! When was it?” he groaned, shaking Ferdinand like a coconut tree.

“I… It was seventeen years ago? She has red hair, bright… We are from Sreng…” he whispered.

Usually, he wouldn’t be afraid. To be honest, when you were raised in the streets, fighting for money or food you were used to… well, fight. He had a very good fist to throw but he was better with staff.

However…

This was a Noble.

He could ruin his mother’s life…

“Sreng… SRENG!!! Your mother! This frail little who…” He saw the look of the young boy. “…man. I remember her. She has such big…” He let go on Ferdinand. “Anyway… this mean…” He smiled and grabbed Ferdinand’s between his chin. “You like that Vestra, isn’t it?”

“Hubert von Vestra?”

Ferdinand nodded.

“Perfect. Come with me!”

The man pushed open the door and grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him outside.

He glanced at the hour.

He has to hurry up. Eduard Von Vestra will ask his son to choose his spouse. And he would refuse it, but if he was fast enough.

“Please, everyone…”

Elvire Von Vestra, with her long blond hair loosened in her back and the most beautiful black dress around.

“I would like to give you a good new!” the Duke said. “You have no objection, isn’t it?”

Elvire had a lot. Her husband even more… but what could they say? They were Vassal of the Empire, he was the Duke, the Prime Minister and the Advisor of it. And them knew he was, in fact, ruling it. If only they could threw him away.

“Of course no. Please. What is this great new?”

“Perhaps the fact he will die in a few seconds,” Hubert smirked.

Edelgard smiled. She would have loved that indeed.

But he was still holding the wrist of Ferdinand who looked pretty lost, in his waiter attire, in the middle of all those Nobles…

“I have found back my lost son!”

“What?” Ferdinand hiccupped.

“What?” Hubert groaned.

“What?” Eduard Von Vestra choked in.

“Thank you!”

Rosalie dashed toward him in the fold and the lace of her dress. She hugged Ferdinand’s legs, pressing her head against his thighs.

Ferdinand blinked, not understand anything about what was happening.

“But I can’t…” he whispered.

“Our hair, my dear, are an evident sign.”

Ferdinand watched his hair. The whole crowd watched his hair.

“I need to puke,” Hubert said.

“It’s fine he has… just half the blood of that man,” Edelgard replied.

“If you don’t think it was all planned…”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Look at him. He is red, he hurried himself. I think he just learnt it and…”

“Want to manipulate me. He probably knew we were about to cancel all of this.”

“I know your father had reason to want you to marry an Aegir because he hopes your heir will have a Crest but the invert? They hide something and I don’t like that,” Edelgard groaned, folding her arms. “At least, you appreciate Ferdinand,” she said. “And he appreciates you.”

“Excuse me?” Hubert said, looking at her.

She smiled to him. “You can annoy your father if you marry Ferdinand. Because no heir without hard and expensive magic. And so they won’t force you to do this thing you hate…”

“I won’t step in their plan,” he groaned.

“I don’t want it neither. I just say, at least, you like him and you can annoy your father without him having to hurt you. I was about to make him be fired but I was worry you would be fired too after. Since… you know, heritage rules… I hate them. I will change them. You are worthier than any man that could back me up… But… if I can’t, I can’t do this without you,” she said.

“Lady Edelgard…” He wanted to thank her. He had to thank her. He couldn’t hurt her more… She didn’t want him to be hurt, whipped… “Ferdinand is still pure. Perhaps I can manage to have him working for us… if he can know the plans of his father…”

“Yes!” Edelgard said. “I would prefer to see you forced to be married with someone who appreciates you a little rather than… I don’t want them to hurt you,” she finished.

She glanced at Rosalie, still hugging Ferdinand while the Duke was explaining, proving, how Ferdinand could be his son. She knew she had screamed ‘thank you’ because she could be saved from this wedding with Hubert…

“For you, my Lady,” he said, leaning to kiss her hand.

“For you, my Hubert,” she replied, squeezing his hand.

She smiled as he moved away, walking toward his father which was still fulminating. The Duke had stolen the attention from him and his family. Should he really accept a union between them…

“Father… I suppose you expect me to ask my future spouse in wedding, as you asked me to?”

Eduard watched him.

He still wanted to do a wedding with the Aegir?

Except…

Perhaps…

“Who do you want to marry?” he asked.

“You told me I have to make an official announcement… It would be rude I tell you anything before to my spouse,” he smirked.

Eduard hated that smirk.

He moved his hand to his pocket, grabbing the black box and handing it to his son. As she saw him to, Elvire hit her glass with a fork.

“Please,” she called. “My son, Hubert Von Vestra, wants to ask his future bride in wedding for his birthday and in front of all of you. With you as testimony of their union, we hope it will happen soon enough. When his bride will be in age… after all, you all know we have promised our son to one of the Aegir Children,” she smiled.

She moved her fingers, showing her son.

Which walked toward Ferdinand.

Rosalie hiccupped and ran away, as if that could save her if Hubert had chosen her.

Ferdinand watched him, his lips turned into a little smirk. Half reassured with all of this. What should he do now? He wanted to step away from the Duke. Was he really his father?

Hubert put a knee on the floor.

“Ferdinand Von Aegir…”

“Who?” he hiccupped.

“You are Ferdinand Von Aegir,” Hubert said with a little smile.

“I am Ferdinand Von Aegir…?” Ferdinand whispered.

It was making him dizzy.

Wait…

He really was Noble? He really was…

“Ferdinand Von Aegir… would you marry me?”

“Me?” he whispered.

“Hubert?” Elvire hiccupped.

The Duke seemed relieved. He had fallen on the net. Everything was in his hand. The union between Vestra and Aegir. He glanced at Eduard who was in rage. But what could he say… it was in the contract they had made twenty-one years ago. An Aegir for his baby Vestra…

At this moment, he realized he never explicitly asked for a daughter… he expected it and went happy when he discovered four daughters for Hubert to make a choice and then being less insupportable.

And now…

This parvenu. He would kill him… He would destroy this awful commoners who just got the chance that his mother had an affair with the Duke.

This bastard…

“I… I need to breathe,” Ferdinand whispered.

“I will bring you to the balcony,” Hubert offered.

The young… Aegir, if it was his new name, him who never had some, nodded. He needed to move away from those eyes looking at him. He was feeling so bad, the attention was making him sick.

He accepted the hand hold at him and followed Hubert who brought him to the balcony. The irony being that their evasion to the balcony had been stopped by all of this a bit earlier. And while he just want to please Hubert a few minutes ago, now he was taking the fresh air with delight, his hands around the edge of the barrier and his eyes looking away in the distance, searching some comfort through the noble building.

The curtains closed on the other side of the windows and Hubert felt he owned this to Lady Edelgard. Directly or indirectly. She always had been the only one to understand him and she claimed he was the only one to understand her.

“What had happened?” Ferdinand whispered.

“You said you didn’t know your father…”

“Yes,” the boy replied.

“You can’t say that anymore.”

“But… The Duke Aegir can’t be my father.”

“Why?”

“My mother is… considerate as a commoner around here? We always acted like that and we always will be acting that way… How a Noble, someone as important as the Duke Aegir himself, could…”

“It’s easy to have an affair without more. Especially for a Noble as important and disgusting as him.”

“You mean… sex without love? That looks disgusting.”

“Not that sex can be something else,” Hubert groaned, looking in the distance.

He didn’t know if Ferdinand had ever heard those last words, mumbled in the wind… Especially because Ferdinand was still lost, looking his hands filled with callus because of the hard work and the fighting.

“But why adopting me?”

“He isn’t adopting you, he is recognizing you.”

“Why? I am… Look at me!”

Hubert didn’t wait to comply. Ferdinand was shivering, probably because of the cold air but also the stress swallowing him. He removed his vest and put it around the naked shoulders, not daring to even brush them. Though, one of his fingers entered by mistake in the golden hair and thought they weren’t soft, hurt by live, the contact was delightful to him.

“I have been promised to wedding to an Aegir children when I was just a toddler. I was about to push away the daughters of the Duke because I had no desire to marry any of them…”

Ferdinand pressed his hand on the vest with surprise. He was so close of him… the man was so tall…

“I still don’t get it, I think…”

“I would like to marry you.”

“Oh…” Ferdinand whispered. “But why?”

Hubert held out his hand, his fingers approached his cheek but never touched it. He couldn’t explain, he just had… his pretty creepy smile in the eyes.

“Can I ask you in marriage?” he wondered.

“Y… Yes?” Ferdinand replied. “But… are you sure?”

Hubert put his knee on the floor. He showed again the little box, still open.

“Ferdinand, would you make me the honor to accept to marry me?”

“Yes?” Ferdinand replied.

Hubert watched him under the light of the Moon and the Stars. He was looking like an unreachable deity. He took his left hand with the softest gestures he could have and slide the ring at his finger. The finger the Vestra family was giving to each other since generation and generation…

It was a bit too big for Ferdinand’s finger but they could easily fix that with a thread.

“Thank you?” Ferdinand said.

“Thank to you. May I?” he added, approaching his lips from his knuckles.

“Yes?”

Hubert pressed a kiss on his fingers.

“C… Can I kiss your cheek?” Ferdinand asked.

The man just get up, leaning slightly over him so he could reach his cheek. Ferdinand pressed his lips on the cheekbone and gave him the brightest smile.

“I will do my best to please you,” he swore.


End file.
